Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
Week of December 4 The Preparation for the Kingdom Prayer from Anglican Book of Common Prayer Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, learn, mark, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your Holy Word we may embrace… Continue reading Advent 2022-week two
Week of November 27 The Promise of Hope Isaiah 55 Prayer from Anglican Book of Common Prayer Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day,… Continue reading Advent 2022-week one
Gratitude requires all three. Thanksgiving and Advent are upon us. Thanksgiving offers an opportunity to look at the past and the present with gratitude for the good in our lives. Advent points us forward to the new year living under the new covenant with God and to the coming of the Lord in glory. We… Continue reading Justice, Mercy, and Humility
Where grace endures. I am currently working through Jennifer Rothschild’s excellent study on the minor prophet, Amos with my ladies Bible study. When the women’s ministry settled on Amos for fall I was both intrigued and excited. Intrigued because the minor prophets don’t have the touchy-feely vibe most weekday women’s Bible studies want (I long… Continue reading Undivided loyalty
Sometimes the most direct path is not a straight line #inspiredbyasermon Mark 7:31-37 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him… Continue reading Of circuitous routes and cleansing sighs
Is God, by His silence, creating space for us to wrestle as Jacob did? Caught in-between. For some of us, it's a space between jobs or transitions between life stages, especially the years between active parenting and the empty nest. For others it may be changing locations or churches. There are times in everyone's life… Continue reading When God seems silent: Part two
The Feast of Trumpets A new year means both reflection and rejoicing A Good Year Leviticus 23: 23-25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy… Continue reading Shanah Tovah: שנה טובה
Why congregations need to show grace to their leaders. Satan and his demons will do anything to silence the Church. When external persecution is impractical for whatever reason, they exploit human frailties within individual churches. Leaders, especially pastors and priests, find themselves in complex moral, social, and cultural battles on a regular basis. The Church… Continue reading Show yourself beautiful
John 21:15-18 You have to appreciate Peter. He's an all-or-nothing kind of guy who cannot hide his feelings or control what comes out of his mouth. He makes big claims and even bigger mistakes. And Jesus clearly loves that about him. In that love, Jesus also teaches, disciplines, and molds Peter into the apostle who… Continue reading Lessons from a charcoal fire
The God who worked wonders in the past is faithful to keep His promises still (Psalm 77:14; Psalm 86:15). To say we live in troubling times is an understatement. Every day some new catastrophe floods the news cycles: natural disasters, crime, social issues, education, politics, and uncertainty about the economy threaten our personal well-being and… Continue reading Faithful through the Ages
Defaulting to Grace 